Hartwick Continues to Surge With 90-83 Victory over RIT
ONEONTA, NY - Hartwick's men's basketball team has now beaten them all. The Hawks defeated RIT by a 90-83 final count on Friday night to give them at least one win over all eight Empire 8 Conference teams and the victory keeps 'Wick in a tie for first place in the standings with Ithaca and Stevens who were both winners tonight.
Mark Blazek (Erie, PA/Erie Cathedral Prep) and Chris Ryder (Port Washington, NY/Port Washington) each scored 18 points for Hartwick. Andres Carpio (Beacon, NY/Lock Haven Univ.) and Martin McCann (Hopewell Junction, NY/Lourdes) netted 12 apiece. Jared Suderley (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley) scored 11.
Hartwick (14-7, 9-3 E8) overcame a nine-point first-half deficit to claim the victory over the Tigers. Anthony Terry hit a three-pointer with nine minutes elapsed in the first half to put the visitors up 25-16, but a 15-3 'Wick run would put the Hawks in front.
Justin Heisig converted two of his game-high 31 points for the Tigers for a 42-41 edge with two minutes left in the half, but the Hawks netted the final five points before halftime and never trailed again.
Hartwick opened up an 11-point lead in the first five minutes of the second half. The Tigers managed to cut the lead to four points three times in the final seven and a half minutes. Terry sank a three-pointer to make the score 83-79 with just over a minute left, but the Hawks hit 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final 48 seconds to keep the Tigers form getting any closer.
McCann, who hit three treys in the game, moved into 10th place on the all-time Hartwick three-point list with 104. Christian Laputka (Freeland, PA/Hazleton Area) also contributed a career-high seven points and he dished out a game-high five assists for the Hawks, who shot 59% from the floor as a team.